Huge future for low-cost miniature components

Citation

(2003), "Huge future for low-cost miniature components", Assembly Automation, Vol. 23 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2003.03323bab.005

Huge future for low-cost miniature components

Huge future for low-cost miniature components

Keywords: Electroforming, Assembly

Designers and OEMs worldwide are set to benefit from the significant technological advancements recently achieved by photo-chemical machining specialist, Tecan. The company has breached traditional manufacturing obstacles to deliver low-cost micro metal parts, and larger parts with ultra-fine features, for a vast new applications arena covering electronics, optical, medical and aerospace (Plate 2).

The inherent advantages of the technology are expected to be exploited by a wide range of industries, for the demanding next-generation micro applications, where products will be made significantly smaller and finer, repeatedly, at lower cost and with fewer production processes.

Plate 2 Tecan has developed techniques to produce micro-miniature metal parts for next-generation applications where products can be repeatedly made significantly smaller and finer, at lower cost and with fewer production processes

Typical micro-applications include sensors, actuators, hearing aids, medical devices, optical instruments, micro-lenses, meshes, masks, displays and micro-fluidic devices. Micro structures can be manufactured to extremely small scale, with features, such as apertures, fluid channels or raised lands, down to one or two microns with tolerances at sub-micron levels. They will also be employed in micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and micro optical electro-mechanical structures (MOEMS). Similarly, the company can produce larger parts, up to 300 × 300 mm, with equally fine resolutions.

Recently opened by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, the company’s dedicated new £2 million, 8,000 sq/ft facility, houses a state-of-the-art Class 1000 clean room, within which are a number of Class 100 areas. These highly clean areas ensure the provision of particle-free environments where components with sub-micron features can be repeatedly and consistently fabricated.

The company has developed world-leading photo-electroforming production and in-house plating techniques to make such cost-effective accuracy possible. Previously in the manufacturing world, MEMS have predominantly been manufactured in silicon, using expensive technology from the semiconductor industry. Tecan currently produces such parts in nickel, at significantly lower cost, and has plans to move into other pure conductive materials such as copper and gold in the near future. Such parts offer significant advantages over brittle and expensive silicon options, such as mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and other unique benefits.

The company describes the new technology as the hybrid application based on three established manufacturing technologies – silicon semiconductor, high-volume audio CD, and microembossing tools such as those used in micro-lens array and hologram manufacture. Ongoing market feedback from existing customer joint-ventures combined with 30 year’s experience in photo-chemical machining and photo-electroforming were also crucial elements in the development of the new processes.

“One of the greatest benefits to our customers, is an increasing appreciation of photo-electroforming and the opportunities it offers their designers as they liaise with our own”, said Noel Cherowbrier, Tecan’s Sales and Marketing Director. “As these relationships develop, designers increasingly realise that we can make micro-metal components with more exacting designs and tighter tolerances than they ever realised were achievable. Unique and extremely sophisticated three-dimensional parts are now being conceived as OEM engineers and designers explore the wider technology envelope now available to them – through the traditional ‘X/Y’ axis, and now beyond – through exploitation of the ‘Z’ axis too.”

Exceptional tolerance and accuracy are assured, across the maximum surface area of 300 × 300 mm, far greater than most existing silicon capabilities. Raised areas can be produced with a maximum aspect ratio of 5:1 and potentially greater. Tracks and channels can be fabricated as narrow as 2 micron wide, 4 micron pitch, with smooth walls and sub-micron tolerances. Surface smoothness is also exceptionally accurate, being sub-wavelength, at 600 nm across surface. (Lambda/4).

For more information contact: Jill Steer, Tecan Components Limited, Tecan Way, Granby Ind. Est., Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 9TU. Tel: 01305 765432; Fax: 01305 780194; E-mail: sales@tecan.co.uk; Web site: www.tecan.co.uk